Ketterer Kunst's top results of 2007, 2010 and 2011 excelled; Best annual balance for 2012

Damien Hirst, Lavender Baby, 2002. Estimate: 15,000 EUR / $19,500.

MUNICH.-  30 million total proceeds  that is the excellent result for the business year 2012 of Ketterer Kunst. Accordingly, we have outperformed even the so far best year in our companys history, the record year 2011, by  1 million*, says Robert Ketterer.

The excellent result clearly shows that next to the big international names Germany is the perfect market place for German art, the auctioneer and company owner continues. What I am particularly thrilled about is the increase in new customers. In 2012 on average one out of three buyers was new, in the section of art from the 15th to the 19th century even one out of two.

Modern Art & Post War /Contemporary ArtThese sections** alone, including the special auction Side lines of the German Avant-garde, made for proceeds of  25,5 million*, around half a million more than last year. Bidders from more than 40 countries, most of them from Europe and the U.S.A., but also from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, the United Arab Emirates, from Singapore, Japan and Australia contributed to this success. Next to this years big players, other classics such as works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Gerhard Richter and the ZERO artists also realized excellent increases.

The list of desired objects is led by German names: In the section of Modern Art it was artists such as Heinrich Campendonk, Hermann Max Pechstein and Erich Heckel and especially Gabriele Münter and Emil Nolde that made for convincing results. While a total of 22 works by the latter were successfully sold, 13 works came from Gabriele Münter, of which five even climbed to six-digit realms. Alongside German classics like Georg Baselitz, Karl Otto Götz, Ernst Wilhelm Nay and Emil Schumacher, the section of Post War/Contemporary Art was dominated by international names like Serge Poliakoff, Pierre Soulages and the Beijing native Zao Wou-Ki. His work caused a rush of bids from all over the world, most of them from China and France, his second home.

Old Masters & Art of the 19th CenturyThis section made for a very stable result of  1,2 million*. The fact that the appeal of art from the 15th to the 19th century is increasing is proven by the fact that 46% new bidders participated in the autumn auction. Accordingly, the remarkable 34 % new customers in the 2011 autumn auction was topped, so that now every second buyers is new.

In the section of old graphic works by Albrecht Dürer, Francisco de Goya, Adriaen van Ostade, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, it is especially a hand drawing by Jacques de Gheyn II that is particularly worthwhile mentioning. It climbed to a price that made it the years most expensive work at Ketterer Kunst. After the study sheet had been ascribed just shortly before the auction thanks to intensive research, it went from its original estimate of  2.000-3.000 for an excellent yet unknown Dutch work, to the amazing figure of  176.900*.

Rare Books - Manuscripts - Autographs - Decorative PrintsWith overall proceeds of more than  3,3 million*, the result is more than satisfying, as it matches exactly that of last year, which was the best in more than 20 years. Especially the two well-endowed evening auctions were popular with the audience. Additionally, both quality and a wide range of offers attract more and more new international customers who have so far had their focus mostly on fine art, says Christoph Calaminus, auctioneer and head of the Rare Books department. This years list of desires is led by the one-of-a-kind De Gros-Carondelet book of hours, which more than doubled its calling price of  200.000 to a result of  425.000*. Particularly thrilling was the sale of the rare exhibition catalog of the artist group Brücke. Bought by a book lover on a flea market for  5, it realized a result of  27.000* in the auction, thus yielding 540000%.